Woman robbed of NT$2.3 million on Taipei street

女子在台北街頭被搶走230萬新台幣

Robbers discovered in advance that victim was taking backpack with cash to bank


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A woman was robbed of NT$2.3 million (US$74,000) in cash by two suspects in broad daylight on a street in the heart of Taipei on Tuesday (Jan. 9).

The two suspects allegedly committed the robbery on the streets of Taipei City's Zhongzheng District, reported CNA. The police received a tip and arrested them on Wednesday (Jan. 10) and seized more than NT$280,000.

During a press conference held by the Zhongzheng First Precinct of the Taipei City Police Department on Thursday (Jan. 11), investigation team leader Hsieh Kun-tsai (謝昆材) said they received a report of a female victim, surnamed Huang (黃), being robbed on Section 1 of Chongqing South Road. After the police formed a special task force and reviewed surveillance footage, they identified the suspects as a 33-year-old man surnamed Sun (孫) and a 36-year-old man surnamed Tsai (蔡).

During the investigation, it was found that Sun pretended to ask Huang for directions, while Tsai took advantage of the distraction to snatch the bag. The whole process took less than 10 seconds.

The two suspects then took a taxi to an intersection near New Taipei City's Sanchong District, before splitting up. One drove a car and the other rode a scooter, presumably attempting to create breakpoints and evade police pursuit.

Sun took NT$2 million and Tsai took NT$300,000, reported SETN. Only NT$280,000 was left to be seized by police because Sun had reportedly used some of the stolen money to repay debts.

After police tracked the escape routes of the two suspects, they dispatched officers to rental residences in Sanchong District and Zhonghe District on Wednesday to apprehend the suspects. According to the investigation, the two men learned from a friend that the victim would be carrying a large sum of cash to a bank and devised a plan to rob the woman.

The police, based on the suspicion of "Abrupt Taking" (搶奪罪), also known as snatch theft, have transferred Sun and Tsai to the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office for further investigation and requested their detention.

Huang told police that she works as a secretary, and the cash was intended to make a down payment. However, she did not specify what the payment was for.

The police do not rule out the possibility that the incident may be related to an internal dispute within a certain group, colloquially referred to as "black eating black." The case has been reported to prosecutors for further investigation.

The Zhongzheng First Precinct advised people withdrawing large sums of money to apply for police protection. It also reminded the public to be cautious about carrying valuables.